Obama's cynicism is distilled from disappointment: he said while running for re-election last year that his victory could cause the Republican "fever" to break and catalyze more cooperation in Congress.

Some hope.

Apart from an end-of-year deal on allowing Bush-era tax cuts on the rich to expire, Republicans have dug in their heels on multiple fronts.

One ray of light though is Obama's top second-term priority -- immigration reform which key Senate Republicans know they must support if they are to win back Hispanic voters and have a viable path in future presidential elections.

The legislation's prospects in the Republican-led House of Representatives, though appear unclear.

All second term presidents race the clock as their influence wanes.

Former George W Bush advisor Karen Hughes, who saw her boss fail in his second term to reform immigration and social security, told NBC Sunday that re-elected presidents have only a year to pass their program.

Still, while Obama's influence may ebb at home -- the US commander-in-chief is never irrelevant and second term presidents often look abroad to build their legacies.

Obama parried questions Tuesday about whether he will intervene in Syria, after the apparent use of chemical weapons there contravened a "red line" he laid down last year.

US vice president Joe Biden shares a light moment with US President Barack Obama during an event on finding employment for returning military veterans from their service, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Reuters

He must also make hugely consequential decisions on Iran's nuclear program and the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

His covert drone war will likely continue to the end of his presidency in 2017 and he is expected to travel this year to Europe twice, mount a major African tour and return to Asia in October.

And as the Boston bombings and other recent tragedies showed, the US president often takes on a role of national counseler.

Earlier presidents can also testify that sometimes the press is too early to confer lame duck status.

"The president is relevant here," president Bill Clinton declared in April 1995, during a miserable political run.

A day later, a bomb ripped through a federal building in Oklahoma City sparking a national crisis that not only showcased Clinton's relevancy, but helped him relaunch his presidency – and win re-election.

In October, 2007, Bush vowed "I'm going to sprint to the finish, and finish this job strong, that's one way to ensure that I am relevant."

The following year, amid the election for the man who would replace him, Bush was back at center stage, flexing the powers of the presidency to try to stave off a financial meltdown.

And if any president ran to the finish it was Clinton, who unsuccessfully pursued a deals on Middle East peace, and ending North Korea's missile program, right up to the end.